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Can't connect to wow on school wireless
Mr. White
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
For the last month, i've been unable to connect to world of warcraft on my schools wireless (I get stuck at authenticating). I have no problem connecting at home, and I don't have a firewall, or anything else that might interfere with the game.
My friend has no problem connecting at school, but I do for some reason. Is there anything I could check, or change?
Also, he seems to be getting a faster connection than me. I tend to get a 3.5 mbps speed while he gets 11mbps.
I don't have any spyware, torrents, downloads of any kind going on, and im confused as to how this is happening.
The only idea I have is that the school singled out my computer, since I tried to update wow at school once (They do this through a torrent system) and I got locked out of the network for about 15 minutes. Ever since then my speed seems like its been limited. I don't see how this could happen though, because my friends download through p2p all the time, and they never get disconnected.
I've already asked for help on the wow forums, and didn't recieve a reasonable response.
My friend has no problem connecting at school, but I do for some reason. Is there anything I could check, or change?
Also, he seems to be getting a faster connection than me. I tend to get a 3.5 mbps speed while he gets 11mbps.
I don't have any spyware, torrents, downloads of any kind going on, and im confused as to how this is happening.
The only idea I have is that the school singled out my computer, since I tried to update wow at school once (They do this through a torrent system) and I got locked out of the network for about 15 minutes. Ever since then my speed seems like its been limited. I don't see how this could happen though, because my friends download through p2p all the time, and they never get disconnected.
I've already asked for help on the wow forums, and didn't recieve a reasonable response.
Mr. White on
0
Posts
1) It's something that they probably need to fix
or
2) You're not supposed to be gaming on the school network.
Basically, they know jack shit, all they do is pay for the internet and make sure people can connect, everything is on my end, and they have a Utopian network.
I think if you stopped playing WoW in college, it will only benefit you.
But then again, you may only play a few hours a week so in that case, I just sound like an asshole. When I was a freshman, kids played that game all the time in my dorm and really missed out on a lot.
Also, I just had a IT guy track me down and ask if my name was "Chris", I answered yes, he then told me that i'm not allowed to play wow.
Funny, because the only rule stated on the wireless faq is that, "Use of the RCCD District wireless network by non RCC employees or students is strictly prohibited. All access through the network may be monitored and logged. Any illegal use of the wireless network will be reported to the proper authorities."
Not only that, but it's on my computer, not the schools :-/
Kind of pissed off right now, but I know being confrontational with the guy isn't going to solve anything.
I used to work at my schools NetOps Center, and there wasn't a rule against MMOs. They are generally harmless, as far as network activity goes.
In terms of destroying your life utterly... that's another matter.
Does your school have a computer code of conduct that applies to the wired network? If so, that may be where the "no gaming" clause resides. Since it's your own computer though, and you pay for access indirectly via your tuition, I'd say you have good cause to complain. If the IT admin won't see it your way, go over his head and complain to whoever is his boss. If that doesn't get anywhere, consider issuing a complaint with your school's ombudsman. You do have rights, you just have to be assertive in order to claim them. If someone claims that games are a purely frivolous use of the network, I'd recommend pointing out the growing body of video game research. Games are a relatively new medium which means there's a need for serious research, the same as for film, theater, literature, music and other media.
usually you have to buy some coffee or something and it's good for a few hours, but that may have changed since the last time I actually went into a starbucks....
Yes, Starbucks charges for wireless. It's either a ridiculous one-time fee or a slightly less ridiculous monthly or yearly subscription.
There may be other coffee shops in the area that have free wi-fi, but you need to buy something while there in order for them to let you use it. Most coffee shops around where I live give you the wireless password on the receipt, for instance.
In any case, about the IT guy, it is his job to answer your questions. If he does not, ask to talk to his supervisor. Be adamant about it; they can't refuse you service without giving you a reason.
If they have a legitimate reason, then yeah, rock out at starbucks, barnes & noble, or panera. The starbucks wireless fee is crap in that it's a fee, but it's not bad.
If you ask the IT guys for clarification, and they come back with "ok, it's not really 'illegal,' but we're not going to help you out since it's not class related," as in it's OK for you to play but they're not going to help you out, look into a VNC setup. I've used your-freedom.de to play the occasional game on obtuse network setups before, and you can try it out for free through them. I only recommend them because of the free service; there's LOTS of VNC companies out there that range from almost free to a few bucks a month, or "voucher" based "when you need it" service.